I arrived in San Jose today for the start of a week of meetings. This is my first time in San Jose so I was looking forward to being in the heart of Silicon Valley.<br />
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I flew United direct to San Fran - luckily I didn’t have high expectations of the in-flight service so I wasn’t too dissappointed. I think that Virgin and Singapore Airlines have the exact opposite hiring policy for air crew than United. The staff that I had on the United flight all were around 40-50ish and quite cantankerous, continually scolding passengers for getting up whilst the seatbelt sign was on. On the plus side the seats were not too bad and I had enough leg room to stretch out a little. Thankfully the flight was only 13 hours. I guess I was a little cranky as I was listening to the tennis at the time and Hewitt was getting a pasting in the second, third and fourth sets of the Australian Open finals.<br />
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Getting through the San Francisco airport was not hard at all, but I had the pleasure of finding out that the car I had been assigned did not have a GPS Neverlost installed! Makes it very hard to get around California with all the freeways to navigate. Especially as I am travelling without my usual navigator, Vic. I was able to finally get the car I wanted after a bit of fast-talking with the lady at the front desk but felt a bit guilty afterwards as I saw her manager pull her aside to give her a talking to. <br />
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I made my way into San Francisco as I had a few items to get - Dave Lam wanted a new phone, Vic wanted some more porridge, a sun visor and an ipod shuffle. Using the Neverlost I was able to quickly get to Market St and park the car. Neverlost is great, you punch in either a street address, intersection or use the yellow pages to find your destination and Neverlost will calculate the shortest route for you. If you go off course it recalculates the route for you and attempts to get you back on track.<br />
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As it turned out most of the shops that I needed to go to were closed on a Sunday. Dave’s phone wasn’t available yet in a model that could work in Australia. Vic’s ipod shuffle had proven so popular that there is now a four week waiting list. I did however, get the sun visor and porridge for Vic. So the shopping trip was cut a little short. I did make it to the Apple store on Market and 4th in San Francisco. The place is packed! It’s pretty cool, you can take your mac in and I think get free internet access either on the supplied imacs or through the store’s wireless. I didn’t take my mac with me so I wasn’t able to try that out unfortunately!<br />
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I then drove off to San Jose to check into the hotel. The drive to San Jose isn’t overly complicated as you just jump on the 101 but it does feel like it is quite a long way away. A lot of people who work at Cisco live in the Bay area and commute every day - whilst it did not take that long on a Sunday, I can imagine the commute would be a horror during the working week.<br />
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San Jose reminds me of one large technology park. There’s nothing really that stands out when you arrive, just a series of hotels and corporate campuses. I did go to a factory outlet center called the “Great Mall” which was very large but I found that a lot of the stores were repeated as you wandered the vast interior, so the selection wasn’t that great after all.<br />
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I’m meeting up with the guys from Cisco tomorrow morning so hopefully they can show me a more interesting side to San Jose.

Found <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=140&amp;entry_id=75″ title=”http://www.kevinelliott.net/blog/” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.kevinelliott.net/blog/’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>Kevin’s blog</a> on <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=141&amp;entry_id=75″ title=”http://www.blogclicker.com” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.blogclicker.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>BlogClicker</a> today, he has some interesting articles on file sharing, spyware and VOIP - including this <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=142&amp;entry_id=75″ title=”http://www.kevinelliott.net/blog/archives/2005/01/fast_file_shari.php” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.kevinelliott.net/blog/archives/2005/01/fast_file_shari.php’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>one</a> on <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=143&amp;entry_id=75″ title=”http://www.exeem.com” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.exeem.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>eXeem</a> a new variant on BitTorrent with distributed peer-based trackers.

<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url=aHR0cDovL3d3dy53eHBsb3R0ZXIuY29tL2Z0X2RlYWQucGhwP2lt&amp;entry_id=74″ title=”http://www.wxplotter.com/ft_dead.php?im” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.wxplotter.com/ft_dead.php?im’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”><br />
<img src=”http://www.wxplotter.com/images/ft/dead.php?val=5681″ alt=”I am going to die at 86. When are you? Click here to find out!”> </a>

<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=138&amp;entry_id=73″ title=”http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/27/apple_site_powerbook_g5/” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/27/apple_site_powerbook_g5/’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>The Register</a> has an article on a possible G5 leak on the apple website. Apparently a tracking image on the main powerbook page is named “apple_g5_powerbook” and has the apple fans salivating.<br />
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I had a look on this same page and it appears that they have fixed their mistake. Perhaps it was just a typo? If they do release a G5, hopefully they can do something about the heat issue. Having the powerbook resting on my knees whilst I work will slowly cook my flesh. Would having something beefier, like the G5, make it even hotter??<br />
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<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=139&amp;entry_id=73″ title=”http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=857″ onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=857′;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>AppleInsider</a> has an article about this G5 for powerbook stating:<br />
<blockquote><br />
The Inquirer claims to have obtained a copy of a Digital Video and Multimedia News writeup from the Electronics Summit 2004, a conference held for electronics editors. The document lists some of the ‘design wins’ of different technologies, and seemingly references an Apple PowerBook G5.<br />
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“Number 7 on the list is Hypertransport, that well known technology used in AMD 64 chips and Power Macs,” the publication says. “But perhaps the most interesting confirmation is that Hypertransport has a design win for the Apple PowerBook. This would appear to be confirmation that a G5 PowerBook is definitely turning up and that despite thermal problems, it is at least in the works.”<br />
</blockquote><br />
Seems that the groundswell for a potential G5 release is growing. Hopefully it will be out around the time that I am looking around to replace my powerbook (in about a year’s time).

The <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=136&amp;entry_id=72″ title=”http://www.smh.com.au/news/Tennis/Running-mans-not-fit-to-drop-yet/2005/01/27/1106415737423.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.smh.com.au/news/Tennis/Running-mans-not-fit-to-drop-yet/2005/01/27/1106415737423.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>SMH</a> has an interesting article on stresses of a long tennis game (4 hours+) at the elite competition level has on the body.<br />
<blockquote><br />
Elite performance expert David Misson said Wednesday night’s victory over David Nalbandian would be equivalent to Hewitt running a marathon - back and forth over a 20-metre course.<br />
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“It’s like he’s running 200 flat-out 20m sprints, which will take a big toll on the body,” said Misson, who is also a recovery specialist for the Swans. “The stopping and changing direction is one of the biggest tolls on the body.”<br />
</blockquote><br />
Misson says that in order for Hewitt to maximise his recovery he needs to replace his fluids in the first hour and ensure that he gets a good night sleep. Easier said than done given Hewitt’s new girlfriend visiting him courtside <img src=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/templates/default/img/emoticons/smile.png” alt=”:-)” style=”display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;” class=”emoticon” /><br />
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Hopefully though, he does rest up and sticks it to Roddick in the semi’s tonight!

Whilst in Brisbane enjoying the crappy weather, we decided to go to the movies. We picked this movie having not heard much about it other than it was a “road movie”. I’d never heard of Che Guevera before except as the figure on a series of popular t-shirts. What I do know now is that Che Guevera was a revolutionary with Castro who was eventually executed by the CIA.<br />
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The story begins with Ernesto Guevera de la Serna and his best friend Alberto Granado set out on a journey to discover their continent on their battered 1939 Norton. They plan to cover over 8000 km from Buenos Aires to the Yucatan Peninsula in Venezuela. Ernesto is an idealistic medical student who plans to works with lepers. Alberto is a 29 year old biochemist more interested in sampling the women in each town they travel through.<br />
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The road trip begins light heartedly, with a visit to Ernesto’s girlfriend and her family - of the rich, landowning class. Ernesto pleads with his lover that she wait for him until he returns to Buenos Aires, but you get the feeling that this is a lost cause as he can’t really connect with her wealthy parents. <br />
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From this pit stop, the duo travel up through Peru - each stop more depressing and only serving to fire up the young Ernesto. He witnesses the exploitation of the indigenous Indians by the landed wealthy, the rape of the land at the mines and the segregation of the diseased at the leper colony. The titular motorcycle breaks down in Chile after carrying the twosome almost half the distance.<br />
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The cinematography in this film is superb and the acting powerful. You can sense through Gael García Bernal’s portrayal of the young Guevera the outrage and the passion. Highly recommended for the scenery (the scenes with Machu Picchu and the Andes are spectacular!) and the powerful and engaging story of two friends who travel discover South America and end up changing it.

<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=133&amp;entry_id=70″ title=”http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/01/19/1106110809219.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/01/19/1106110809219.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>SMH</a> has a good opinion piece on the housing market in Sydney. The author, Peter Martin, describes his personal experiences with real estate agents and then the discussions he had with Australia’s leading economists at an annual forecasting conference for the ABE (Australian Business Economists).<br />
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The short of it is:<br />
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Real Estate Agents: There’s been a small slump, but prices are set to recover strongly in 2005.<br />
ABE: Forecasting a fall of between 5-10% with no sign of pick up in the immediate future. They predict that there will be no meaningful increase in prices until the end of the decade.<br />
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Who would you trust? Someone who makes their living out of trying to get you to part with cash on a over-valued piece of property or a group who make a living out of crunching numbers setting banking policy on the housing market. Hmmm…<br />
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Also, Peter, mentions this interesting little tidbit:<br />
<blockquote><br />
The past year was extraordinarily difficult to forecast. When it began, prices were still soaring. And yet the ABE’s forecasting team correctly picked that there would be a downturn and got its magnitude about right.<br />
</blockquote><br />
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I think that the important thing to remember is that housing is very cyclical, with its own peaks and troughs. Remember the housing crash in the late 80’s? (Alan Bond sure does!). We rebounded from that during the mid-to-late 90’s. So there’s bound to be a drop in the housing market eventually. Hopefully it’s right now when Vic and I are looking around to buy <img src=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/templates/default/img/emoticons/smile.png” alt=”:-)” style=”display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;” class=”emoticon” />

I was checking up the schedule of the <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=134&amp;entry_id=69″ title=”http://www.ausopen.com.au” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.ausopen.com.au’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>Australian Open</a> today and saw the following entry:<br />
<blockquote><br />
27-Anna Smashnova (Isr) v Tamarine Tanasurgarn (Tha)<br />
</blockquote><br />
Smashnova? Wow, I wonder if she changed her name in order to intimidate her opponents? I wonder why I have never heard before, given that she is a seeded player. I then checked up her track record in the majors on <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=135&amp;entry_id=69″ title=”http://cbs.sportsline.com/tennis/players/playerpage/201720″ onmouseover=”window.status=’http://cbs.sportsline.com/tennis/players/playerpage/201720′;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>CBS</a> and saw that she rarely makes it through the first or second round. Perhaps I’ll watch her today to see if she breaks her Australian hoodoo (she’s made it through to the third round on two occasions - 2003 and 1995).<br />
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Update - Smashnova defeated Tamarine 6-2 6-2.

According to the <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=130&amp;entry_id=68″ title=”http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,11968674%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,11968674%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>Australian IT section</a>, the success of the Apple IPod has failed to transfer over to the company’s core products - the Macintosh IMac, EMac, Powerbook and Power Mac. Apparently they have even lost market share.<br />
<blockquote><br />
According to IDC, Apple’s share of units shipped in Australia fell from 3.3 per cent in 2003 to 3.1 per cent in 2004.<br />
</blockquote><br />
However, Apple contests these figures, citing their best numbers ever. However IDC claims that Apple has missed the big round of business sales by concentrating on the home market.<br />
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Adding to Apple’s worries, they are facing potential channel backlash in the wake of the news that they will be opening up Apple branded stores. Could they be going the way of Gateway and inviting potential disaster in going retail? Apple doesn’t seem too concerned about keeping their channel partners happy - price matching on their website, increasing the sales targets for their resellers and putting priority on the web sales model.<br />
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Even though it may be a bit early to say at this stage, but if I was an Apple reseller I would be worried.

From <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=129&amp;entry_id=67″ title=”http://www.mggpillai.com/sections.php3?op=viewarticle&amp;artid=8918″ onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.mggpillai.com/sections.php3?op=viewarticle&amp;artid=8918′;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>MGGPillai</a>:<br />
<blockquote><br />
Representatives of seven nations met in Ottawa this week to recruit international observers for the Iraqi elections and agreed to watch the vote, but from the safety of Amman, Jordan.<br />
</blockquote><br />
Apparently it is too dangerous for the observers to be actually on the ground in Iraq to watch the results. Maybe it is a little premature for the elections to be held if it is still too risky for foreigners to be there. What sort of country is the USA handing back to the Iraqis where they cannot elect their leaders without fear of bloodshed.<br />
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Further in this article they mention that they are having trouble in getting volunteers into observe the election.<br />
<blockquote><br />
Three election officials were dragged from their car and assassinated Sunday, raising fears that voters may become targets on Election Day. Significant numbers of Sunni Arabs may boycott the elections, which could jeopardize the legitimacy of the results. In parts of the nation, mostly Sunni areas, officials have not been able to open voter registration offices.<br />
</blockquote><br />
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What is the point of holding elections in such a fractured state? The result’s legitimacy are already being questioned, officials are being assassinated and large numbers of the population are boycotting the election. I doubt very much that this election will be the true will of the people. The region needs to stabilise before any leader can safely assume the mantle of the duly elected representative of the people. I know that freely held elections are a major milestone for the USA forces but they can’t force it on the people if they do not want it.